Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-05-06
THE BURIED MINERS.
LITTLE HOPE OF RESCUING THE ONE HUN
DRED AND TWENTY ENT0MBED MEN.
The Mine May Again Explode at Any Time Sealing
Their Fate in Horrible Manner-Ths Fire
Sill Burning Heroic Work of the
Rsscuing Party.

NANATMO, B. c., May 5.-Over One-half
the miners employed at the Vancouver coal
mine, where the explosion occurred yes
terday have families.
The dead are: VIM. Davis, John Linn,
John Smith, VIM. Craven, Frederick Wat
son. Samuel Hudson, of Wellington, who
formed one of the rescuing party, died from
the effects of the after-damp. Seven China
men were also brought mp dead.
The injured are: Geo Davis, John Jones,
]. Stove, Sr., John Lynch and Jules
Michael.
Richard Gibson, the overman of the
mine, miraculously escaped with a few
cuts about the face.
As nearly as can he ascertained now
there are imprisoned in the mine twenty
nine men in No. |, level %, in the new
slope; twelve on No. , level, and twenty
five on No. 1 level These are all white
men of different natiOnalitieS There are,
besides, between 30 and 20 Cinnamon in
the mine.
1t is feared that all the imprisoned
miners, who number about 12O; will perish
of sutlocatiOn
DEAD MEN IN THE CAGE.
Jules Michael one of the injured. stated
that he was sitting in a cabin at supper, in
No. , shaft, when he felt the concuSSion.
4 L. 4 - n,,1K. ana saN.l nt
his four companions, whose dead bodies
came up in the cage with him. Several
hardly appreciated their escape, owing to
the daZed feeling which characterized all
who camcout from the deadly pit. Michael
represents the explosion as terrific, and
SAYS all became darkness $50 feet from the
entrance to the shaft Immediately after he
came out.
John Lynch was badly injured about
the face and hands and had his hip imC-
turcd, and has been in a delirium since
the explosion, his talk being OF work in
the pit. II is thought he will not recover
owing to his having inhaled gas.
Sam HudsOn's death is unaCCOUnable.
He WAS a miner Of great experience, while
those who went down with him to rescue
their friends were comparatively ineNpe-
rienccd. lie died from the effects of the
afterdamp. His brave deeds were among
the bright things in the carnival of misery.
Gangs of men have been cndeavOring to
eXtinguish the flames in No ] shaft, and
these are believed now TO be under control.
The Merriweather steam fire engine did
good work pumping water from the harbor
down the air shalt hand ire engine
has been taken down into the mine, where
it is
FIGHTING THE FIRE.
1t is absolutely impossible TO think Of
getting at the imprisoned men till the fire
is Subdued for if more air were sent in 1T
would force the gas into the fire and cause
Il SeCOLd disaster. Even now fears are
entertained that the whole place will be
blown up, and old miners say such n result
is possible. II so, the catastrophe would
he the greatest recorded. in the history OF
coal mining.
All that can he done is being done TO
reach the imprisoned men. The rcScners
thought first OF cutting ditch tO salt
water so as To attempt TO put ont the fire
in the No shaft by turning n stream OF
water into it, Int the scheme was aban-
dUned rs ii would only Hood the mine,
rendering it practically useless for year,
and would Danish any hope of saving the
lives of the men. The ImOgcnc Serene
mines extend out from the shore more than
a mile below the waters of the harbOr. |
Many OF the dead are fathers and sons of
eighty families of this little city. Around |
the shaft the SrencS are narrowing in the
extreme.
Mr. Ryden and Mr.. Scott, of the Wei !
lington mines. went down at the eminent |
risk II their lives IN an cndcayor to make |
I'm investigation Us to the manner of pro-
cedure. Mr.. Chandler of the Wellington
mine, has been indclatigablc in his efforts |
to assist IN the work of rescue. Doctors are |
in attenance rendering all the assistance in
their power. \ black pail hangs over the |
city. The business houses are all closed, |
and COllierlcS are shut up and the entire |
population gathered
AT THE SCENE or THE DISASTER.
Terror stricken wives and children and
sorrOwing fathers hover in the vicinity and |
mourn their terrible ullliction. The i'm |
priSoncd miners were all old settlers. II |
is almost impossible that any can have
survived, though many have hope. Peo-
pie do not yet begin to realize the extent OF
the calamity. The cause of the explosion |
is of course unknown. It's generally sup |
posed to be an explosion of coal dust,
similar to that in the Queen OF the Pacific
1t was thought this morning that the fire
in the air shaft has been eXtinguished, and
that small body of flame exists between
the air and main shafts, which may he
conquered, when an attempt will he made
to bring air in and begin the work OF res
cue.
A late shift that came mp reported hear
ing pick striking on the opposite side of
the wall There is a feeling that where
there is life there is hope, but that hope is,